What is Cha'alt?  It's an eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic campaign setting + megadungeon that I've been working on for about a year.  The thing is 218 pages of glorious full-color awesomeness.  

The PDF for Cha'alt has just been released on DriveThruRPG.  The soft and hardcover books will follow in 4 or 5 weeks.  

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/284600/Chaalt

But this thread (I already cleared it with RPG Pundit) is for asking questions about Cha'alt, getting into discussions about everything from color choices to naming conventions to how much damage a laser does?  I'm open to talking about all of it, as well as, how it relates to other titles from Kort'thalis Publishing.  For the purposes of this thread, I'm an open book... shoot!

Thanks,

VS

Holy hell it looks awesome. That wasn't a question just jesus. Wow.

Uh. What's all in it? Give us a breakdown. I mean you've already got my $20 as of Thursday, but I want to anticipate the hell out of the purchase until then.

Quote from: Azraele;1098462Holy hell it looks awesome. That wasn't a question just jesus. Wow.

Uh. What's all in it? Give us a breakdown. I mean you've already got my $20 as of Thursday, but I want to anticipate the hell out of the purchase until then.

First, thank you!

The book starts with the basic world of Cha'alt.  It's like Dune mixed with Mad Max and Rifts.  It ends with optional rules and new elf-based races.

Then, you get a few specific areas to focus exploration before getting to The Black Pyramid.  Those areas include a small dungeon beneath Kra'adumek and a sort of dungeon inside the frozen demon-worm, as well as, a sort of Mos Eisley cantina, but sleazier.  

At last, you get the megadungeon that is The Black Pyramid.  111 rooms, each one has something going on - many rooms have several things happening.  Of course, there are several pages of notes to get you up to speed and tools to help the GM run the pyramid... history, rumors, wandering monsters, etc.  Finally, there's an appendix which includes my Crimson Dragon Slayer D20.  It's about 5 pages of minimalist rules for playing an O5R game (either in person or online).  You don't need that, any version of D&D or similar RPG will suffice.  There wasn't a print version of CDS D20, so I just wanted to include it.

Almost everything gets its own map.  The layout and cartography is by Glynn Seal, so it's terrific!

I think that sums it all up.  

VS

God you had me at Dune.

Okay next question: what's up with the name? Is it a clever anagram or something?

Why elf-based races? Is it something to do with their kind-of gestalt class-synthesis design, or is it more of an aesthetic choice? I once famously made elves "interesting" in a game by making them all pirates instead of typical tree-dwelling hippy types, so I get the appeal in either direction.

Is it actually post-apocalyptic or the equivalent, or is the appeal to mad max more about a general barbarian aesthetic? Like can my players get chainswords and bikes and rip through this dungeon like the last act of Mandy?

Do you have any podcast, youtube video, or other evidence of play you'd like to share with the class? I'm still struggling with my own schedule (and I'm writing my own post-apoc RPG, so you know how much that eats your free time) so it'll be an unfortunate while until I have the opportunity to make one of my own.

How heavy do you reckon the physical book is gonna be? Like can I strut up to my FLGS and drop this monster on the table with a resounding thud, or will it be more of a slap of leaflets? This is critical knowledge; the punks around here need more OSR in their lives and I need a sufficiently mighty book to intimidate them into rolling 3d6 in order.

Quote from: Azraele;1098556God you had me at Dune.

Okay next question: what's up with the name? Is it a clever anagram or something?

Why elf-based races? Is it something to do with their kind-of gestalt class-synthesis design, or is it more of an aesthetic choice? I once famously made elves "interesting" in a game by making them all pirates instead of typical tree-dwelling hippy types, so I get the appeal in either direction.

Is it actually post-apocalyptic or the equivalent, or is the appeal to mad max more about a general barbarian aesthetic? Like can my players get chainswords and bikes and rip through this dungeon like the last act of Mandy?

Do you have any podcast, youtube video, or other evidence of play you'd like to share with the class? I'm still struggling with my own schedule (and I'm writing my own post-apoc RPG, so you know how much that eats your free time) so it'll be an unfortunate while until I have the opportunity to make one of my own.

How heavy do you reckon the physical book is gonna be? Like can I strut up to my FLGS and drop this monster on the table with a resounding thud, or will it be more of a slap of leaflets? This is critical knowledge; the punks around here need more OSR in their lives and I need a sufficiently mighty book to intimidate them into rolling 3d6 in order.

I just thought it sounded cool.  Cha'alt!  Rhymes with malt, BTW.  I wanted something that sounded swift and brutal like a bone axe chopping off someone's head.  After coming up with the name, I created a meaning for the word in the lore of the setting.  Cha'alt means greatness by way of suffering.  

I couldn't see Cha'alt having that many dwarves, gnomes, halflings, or half-orcs.  It's mostly human and elf.  But Cha'alt is well traveled, so there's still a variety, including insect people, aliens, etc.  Elves, for me, have always had some kind of connection to demons, and I played that up in their description.  Lots of infernal beings on Cha'alt.

Great film, Mandy!  The world is actively trying to rebuild after a legit apocalypse.  So, it's not just aesthetics.  There's no ripping through The Black Pyramid, though.  But I'd like to see a party try!

I lost my camera, and haven't made videos for awhile because of that.  I should buy a new one.  It was one of those flip ones for tech dummies like myself.  I have early blog posts with session reports.  This thread should show all my blog posts that have a "Cha'alt" tag: https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/search/label/Cha%27alt

This book will have the most heft of any of my books.  At 216 pages, it should pack quite a wallop.  If you really want to screw with players hesitant about 3d6 in order, I created a d100 table that will give you a 3d6 result for each stat.  So, instead of rolling a total of 36 d6 each time you make a new character, you only have to roll 2d10 (1-100) once and have all your scores right there.  Me, my wife, and kids did the 3d6 rolling and we generated some abysmal scores.  Get ready to smirk when that one player has both a 5 and a 7 in his result.  

VS

What's next for Cha'alt?

BTW, this quote from your Afterword is a perfect summation of Cha'alt!

Running Cha'alt is not about control, accuracy, or preparation. It's not a series of
encounters that requires a delicate balance of character classes, feats, and consumables to
circumnavigate successfully. Rather, it is about letting go, living in the moment, embracing
the unknown, the miraculous, the horrific, the comedic, and the deadly. It's about
wandering through the rusting graveyard of pop culture and beating the shit out of
whatever you find there.

Quote from: Spinachcat;1098715What's next for Cha'alt?

BTW, this quote from your Afterword is a perfect summation of Cha'alt!

Running Cha'alt is not about control, accuracy, or preparation. It's not a series of
encounters that requires a delicate balance of character classes, feats, and consumables to
circumnavigate successfully. Rather, it is about letting go, living in the moment, embracing
the unknown, the miraculous, the horrific, the comedic, and the deadly. It's about
wandering through the rusting graveyard of pop culture and beating the shit out of
whatever you find there.

Yeah, Prince of Nothing summed it up nicely.  

After a long break, I've got a couple ideas for Cha'alt.  But it's got to be really special with a unique twist... or else why bother?

What's the deal with all the apostrophes?

Cha'alt
As'Nas
Kort'halis

I don't g'et it.

I g'et it because Ven'ger is breaking words apart for easier pronunciation. Korthalis doesn't need it, but you can see where Asnas vs As'Nas needs that apostrophe or Chaalt vs. Cha'alt needs it.

I actually replied to this yesterday, but must not have clicked the post button.  I was at work, so probably distracted.  Either way, I'll post an answer to this in a couple hours from now.

Quick questions since I'm not familiar with the games you say this looks like:

Is this a d100 roll under system?
Are there to-hit tables? (Like do I roll on a table to see what I got)
Is there descending AC? (like older D&D)

Please don't assume what I want to hear. (Gencon flash backs of some poor guy trying to sell me his RPG supplement)

Quote from: Spinachcat;1098852I g'et it because Ven'ger is breaking words apart for easier pronunciation. Korthalis doesn't need it, but you can see where Asnas vs As'Nas needs that apostrophe or Chaalt vs. Cha'alt needs it.

Quote from: BrokenCounsel;1098789What's the deal with all the apostrophes?

Cha'alt
As'Nas
Kort'halis

I don't g'et it.

[This is the post I started yesterday, but neglected to actually post it.]

It sets those words apart from ordinary language.  The apostrophe adds a bit of mystery, exoticism, and dare I say alienage.  That's how it started, by the time I finished writing Cha'alt, it became something of an inside joke.  Although, I do feel it gives the world an internal consistency regarding the VS Mythos?

Quote from: Rhedyn;1098874Quick questions since I'm not familiar with the games you say this looks like:

Is this a d100 roll under system?
Are there to-hit tables? (Like do I roll on a table to see what I got)
Is there descending AC? (like older D&D)

Please don't assume what I want to hear. (Gencon flash backs of some poor guy trying to sell me his RPG supplement)

If you're familiar with D&D, then this will all make sense.  Both old school and 5th edition.  All the encounter stat blocks use AC (ascending), HD, HP, Attack Bonus, etc.  

Just to clarify, Cha'alt is not an RPG.  It's a campaign setting + megadungeon.  

Thanks for the questions.  Let me know if anything's unclear.

How much sexual content is there in the book?

Quote from: Ninneveh;1099086How much sexual content is there in the book?

Hardly at all compared to something in the Alpha Blue product line.  But that changes to plenty when held up against official D&D books.  If you'd rather shy away from 99% of sexual content in Cha'alt, all you have to do is either take out or tone down the Gamma Incel Cantina section of the book.  That makes up less than 10 pages out of 218.